The disclosed device relates generally to piping systems and making repairs to the same when the piping system requires either patching of a leak or reinforcement of a leaking section. There are tens of thousands of miles of pipelines utilized by a variety of industries for transporting fluids. Because of age and service which may involve transport of abrasive and/or fluids, the inner walls of these pipelines are subject to continual wear. When these lines fail, there is a loss of product, potential environmental damage, and potentially property damage and/or personal injury.
In cases where it is either impractical, inconvenient, or uneconomic to replace the entire pipeline, or the failed section, the leak may be repaired with a pipe patch, which is typically a metal jacket with a rubber gasket which is wrapped around a straight section of pipe and compressed until it stops the product leak until a more permanent solution can be performed such as replacing the leaking section of pipe. However, this type of device is generally only available for relatively straight sections of pipe. There are no comparable devices, which are relatively easy to install and relatively inexpensive, which may be rapidly installed to stop leaks in angled pipe sections, such as pipe 45 and 90 degree elbows (also referred to herein as “ell fittings” or “ells”). That is unfortunate because these types of fittings often experience greater internal wear than straight sections of pipe, particularly on the outward side of the elbow (i.e., on the convex side) where erosional damage and turbulence may be at a maximum because this surface undergoes the greatest of the change in flow direction of the fluid flowing in the line. Once the wear is significant enough, liquid will begin to leak through the pipe wall from the inside to the outside beginning with a dripping pinhole, then escalating to a larger hole leaking the fluids transported within the pipeline into the environment. The release of the material itself may be problematic. For example, if the material is oil, the release can be harmful to the environment and/or to personnel. Some fluids may be hot or toxic, and it almost always desirable to contain the leak as quickly as possible.
Given the nature of the fluid and the services, a pipeline leak can have severe consequences. When these leaks occur within elbows, under the known procedures, it is usually necessary to shut the pipeline down, which can result in plant shutdowns, lost product, delayed deliveries and expensive repairs. For example, various hot-tapping procedures require isolating the leaking pipe segment, thus requiring a system shut-down.
It should be further noted that failures on the inside bend of ell fittings is not uncommon, comprising 5 to 10 percent of ell failures. The availability of effective, fast, and easily installed repair solutions to failures of the inside bend is desirable. It would be desirable to have a fast and relatively inexpensive means of repairing leaks in elbows, where the repair apparatus is reliable and capable of providing service for a relatively extended period of time if necessary. It would also be desirable to have a repair apparatus which can be installed by a single individual without the need for welding apparatus or other specialized equipment.